THE MARK OF THE SALAMANDER
Justin Newland
GENRE: Historical Fiction
BLURB:
1575.
Nelan Michaels is a young Flemish man fleeing religious persecution in the Spanish Netherlands. Settling in Mortlake outside London, he studies under Queen Elizabeth’s court astrologer, conjuring a bright future – until he’s wrongly accused of murder.
Forced into the life of a fugitive, Nelan hides in London, before he is dramatically pressed into the crew of the Golden Hind.
Thrust into a strange new world on board Francis Drake’s vessel, Nelan sails the seas on a voyage to discover discovery itself. Encountering mutiny, ancient tribes and hordes of treasure, Nelan must explore and master his own mystical powers – including the Mark of the Salamander, the mysterious spirit of fire.
THE MARK OF THE SALAMANDER is the first in The Island of Angels series: a two-book saga that tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era.
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Excerpt:
The weather was dry but bitterly cold as they walked down St Martin’s Lane to the Strand. Eleanor wanted to go home, but Nelan took her gently by the hand and led her towards the top of White Hall.
“Here, come this way,” he said. “Let me show you something.” The stone cross was ahead; the one he’d seen a few days before.
Needle-like, the frost made it shimmer in the winter sun. Together they watched the other couples leave the church. As they passed the cross, each one paused for a moment’s silent remembrance. The men pressed their caps to their hearts. The women bowed their heads. Some shed a solitary tear. Others walked on, lost in thought.
“This is poignant,” Eleanor said. “What’s so special about this cross?”
“Edward I accompanied his wife of many years when she died near Lincoln,” Nelan said. “The King brought her body back to London on a bier. At each of the twelve stops along the way, he erected a memorial to her: a cross; a charing cross.”
“I didn’t know that,” Eleanor said, holding back a tear. “And these ordinary folk, they show her such deep respect. On a freezing day, it warms the cockles of your heart.”
“People behaved the same the other day when I came here. I wanted to share this special place, and what it means, with you.”
“What was the name of his Queen?”
Nelan looked her softly in the eye and whispered, “Eleanor.” “Oh, but that’s… my name,” she said, choking on the emotion. “It’s also called Eleanor’s Cross.”
“Nelan, you brought me here… you thought of me. That’s kind. Thank you. It’s a wonderful story of a love that lasts beyond death and into the afterlife.”
The moist sparkle in her eyes warmed him inside.
“I wonder,” she mused, pressing his hand into hers, “is the fire of love between a man and a woman immortal?”
“Perhaps one day we’ll find out,” he murmured.
This is blog is about the title of my latest historical fiction novel, The Mark of the Salamander. It’s the first part of a two-book series entitled The Island of Angels, which tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era. Watch out for the second book, The Midnight of Eights, which is due out in October 2024.
Queen Elizabeth of England and King Philip II of Spain opposed each other in a religious war in the late 16th century. Even as enemies, they shared plenty in common.
Elizabeth was known as the Virgin Queen mainly because she never married.
King Philip II of Spain was known as ‘the Prudent’ because he was frugal with his money.
She too was a spendthrift, and was exceedingly careful with money, and so in the same way as Philip, she was prudent too.
For many years, Philip lived in the castle-monastery of El Escorial near Madrid. There he was surrounded by Hieronymite monks, who lived an austere life in the image of the their founder, the biblical scholar, St Jerome. Living like a monk, study, austerity and discipline were Philip’s daily fare.
Elizabeth on the other hand, moved around using the River Thames to head from her favourite palace at Richmond to her other royal estates at Whitehall and Greenwich.
She also went on royal progresses to visit the estates of her senior courtiers, like Kenilworth, Osterley and Theobalds.
Astrologically, Elizabeth was a Virgo, actually a double Virgo, because her rising sign was also Virgo. Curiously, Virgo means virgin. The coincidences don’t end there. Because the flag that the Spanish Armada flew had, on one side of it, an image of Madonna, Mary, the mother of Jesus who was herself a virgin.
Philip was himself a Taurus, the bull, and bullish he was in defiance. Stubborn as a mule, he sent several Armadas to invade England, but none of them succeeded. Taurus and Virgo are both Earth signs; Elizabeth and Philip shared that in common too.
The boundaries between the two nations would not have been as explicit had England and Spain been at war today. Today there would be sanctions on trade between the warring nations. In the 16th Century, things were not as cut and dried.
For example, it would have been quite normal for the Queen, Drake and the other English aristocrats to enjoy a glass of Spanish wine and sherry. The other irony to this is that one of the major exporters of said Spanish wine was from the estates of the Duke of Medina Sidonia. Said Duke was the commander of the Spanish Armada sent to invade England’s shores in the summer of 1588.
Elizabeth’s personal motto was ‘Semper Eadem’ which means ‘Always the Same.’ But what was ‘the same’ where she was concerned? She saw herself as married and in service to the people and land of England, and that never varied. She saw herself as protector of the realm, and that never varied either. She too was always fierce in her defiance against the Duke of Parma, who had invaded the Netherlands on behalf of King Philip. This resolution is enshrined in the words from her famous Tilbury speech:
“… I think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm.”
By comparison, King Philip’s motto was Orbis non Sufficit, which means the World is Not Enough. If the world is not enough, what is? The solar system? The universe? This motto reeks of hubris, or excessive pride. Perhaps this is what led King Philip to miss out certain orders to his naval commander, the Duke of Medina Sidonia.
Two opponents.
One a man, who rested in one place, static.
The other a woman, who moved from place to place, ever mobile.
One led the life of a scholarly monk.
The other danced her way into the hearts of her people and gave her name to perhaps the most significant era of England’s long history.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
JUSTIN NEWLAND’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism.
Undeterred by the award of a Doctorate in Mathematics from Imperial College, London, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (ISBN 9781789014860, Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies.
His second book is a historical thriller, The Old Dragon’s Head (ISBN 9781789015829, Matador, 2018), and is set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.
The Coronation (ISBN 9781838591885, Matador, 2019) is an historical adventure and speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution.
The Abdication (ISBN 9781800463950, Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.
His latest is The Mark of the Salamander (ISBN 9781915853271, Book Guild, 2023) and is the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it tells the epic tale of England’s coming of age.
The second in the series, The Midnight of Eights (ISBN 9781835740 330, Book Guild, 2024), charts of the uncanny coincidences that culminated in the repulse of the Spanish Armada and is due for publication in October.
Author, speaker and broadcaster, Justin gives talks to historical associations and libraries, appears on LitFest panels, and enjoys giving radio interviews.
He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.
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2 comments:
Thank you for featuring THE MARK OF THE SALAMANDER today.
Looks like a good read
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